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Owner Pose
John Doe John had given those who had decided to come along the address of where NovaTech was set up. The Corp itself was actually a sprawling campus area, with several buildings. It had all the bells and whistles that a techbro company would set up for its employees, rather they wanted it or not. Cafe, lounge area, and a big open lobby where two ladies sit behind a desk ready to check people in.

The campus had a few distinct buildings, one was obviously an administrivia building, where the company was managed on the day-to-day. There was a Research building, where your typical white lab coat techbro came in and out. There was a central building where the 'rest and relaxation happened. This was where the cafe, food court, lounge, and all that were located.

There was also the game design building, separate from its other buildings. Here is where people in hoodies would walk in and out of. The final building, and where we are starting is the security building. Three stories all on its own, which also housed its front desk area. Here is where the two ladies sit.

To get into your meeting, you'd have to sign your name in, so they could get you a temp badge, and also contact the person who's supposed to speak with you and show you around the gamer building. The two ladies at the front are twins, one wearing a white blouse and a long skirt. Her hair is pushed to one side in a wave. The other lady is wearing a black blouse with the same style of skirt. Her hair is pushed towards the other side. Both are wearing heels, and operating various things.

Their job seems to be both receptionist and call takers as well as the first line of security. The odd thing here is that when John moves to walk by they stop him and ask for his signature on the clipboard for the temp badge.

So this is getting to a great start.

The man who comes up to greet you all is not some low-level outreach peon, but rather the director of game dev for NovaTech. He's a well-dressed man with a buzz cut and a suit. He looks very uncomfortable in said suit, and he's rather been in anything else but this, but the bosses make the rules on dress codes. This is especially true for those who are VIPs.

"Nice to meet you all, I'm Roger Glycon. I'm the director of app development and design. It's a pleasure to meet you all.."
Persephone Kore      Persephone is bad at this. She's bad at seeming normal. Or, rather, she is the most normal thing in the room, and that's the problem.

     A pall of psychically-induced emotion falls over the whole facility with her arrival, lulling everyone present with a sense of sedate warmth and ominously vast gentleness. One can choose to fight against it, but it's like fighting gravity, always effortful. It's not even on purpose, but it might dissuade someone from pulling a gun!

     Which is great, because the woman herself is alarming. Beyond the supreme confidence in her dumb smile, she looks very clearly more 'real' than anything else. Like the only 3D thing in an entire 2D world. Like everything else is rendered hollow and plastic near her.

     She waves at the receptionists with way too much positivity.

     "Haha, it's great to meet you, Roger! I'm Persephone Kore, and these are my friends. You can get us signed in, can't you?" It's not clear if she understands she's supposed to be putting on an act. But even just the naked request is strangely compelling. "And why don't you tell me about what you do here? I'm really excited to hear about it!"

     She officially has no guile at all. But she doesn't need any to, incidentally, scan his surface thoughts. That just comes naturally to her!
Timespace Riders      "Woz, you have to."

    "Absolutely not."

    "I wore the sweater you got me..." Sougo pouts unceasingly until his retainer breaks.

    "...very well. Though a chronicler's garments suit me better, I will debase myself with this inferior apparel, if you will it, my Demon King."

    "If I didn't know better, I'd tell you not to be dramatic. So instead I'll say... don't worry! If we have to use our armor, no one will see what you're wearing underneath."

    The two time-traveling riders are dressed on the casual side of professional, having set themselves up as Kuroto's entourage. Sougo wears a black blazer and matching slacks, with a pink (not magenta!) button-up beneath. Meanwhile, the sour-faced retainer Woz, arms-crossed, wears a grey two-piece, a dress shirt in an earthy brown that complements the scarf he insists on wearing. He's at least draped it over each shoulder instead of the usual wrap-around.

     They sign in as 'Sougo Tokiwa' and 'Sukotto Uozu.' The Demon King gives Woz a funny look, mouthing the fake name in confusion, but Woz simply turns his nose up in silence. Playing the part of a proper lackey, Sougo has a briefcase with him, stocked with documents and whatever else Kuroto might have prepared. Sougo even dropped money on some nice fake business cards for the two of them.
Kukuru After hearing so much about the game potentially responsible for all the weird things going on in Lampport, it can't be too surprising for John or anyone else to see Kukuru once again sticking her nose into things. Hearing that today's visit would involve going to a game development company's security, she's even opted to dress in something a little fancier and security-y: a thick sports coat and pants combo (gray) complete with a regular dress shirt and tie (black). Instead of her usual glasses, she's wearing TOUGH GUY SHADES, and she's even got tight black gloves on to really sell the look of being a tough security person.

Naturally, she forgets all of that by the time she gets in the door, greeting everyone there with her usually pleasant "He-llo, everyone~", light wave of the hand, and leisurely strolling up to the counter to get her fake name signed in. She looks comfortable in the suit, at least, and it actually looks like it's been fitted especially for her rather than just something she picked up off the rack.

"My name's Ku... Gel. Thanks for coming to meet us today, Ro-ger. Our friends are really looking forward to today's meeting~" She explains, beaming at Roger and John while unknowingly doing her own bit of mental nudging towards simply accepting the strange situation as it seems.
Ozhira     The entire time so far that Ozhira has been in Lampport for this trip, they have not adopted their 'usual' disguise. Rather, they present as an adult woman of Asian descent with long black hair tied in a low ponytail. She, likewise, wears a suit and tie and when they sign the clipboard, it is as 'Dr. Kim Nosagi'.

    Looking up the name produces someone who really exists with close ties to the Concord, specifically, under the contractor Bioresearch & Development. While her specialty seems to be in Paleobiology, she seems to have credentials in a wide range of fields including programming.

    She's also super dead and absorbed into the aggregate organism known only as the Devourer, but that part isn't publicly reported.

    "My partners look forward to what we can learn here, Mister Glycon," she speaks with a curt and confident tone, barely accented. No hint of how Ozhira typically talks. "By all means, please continue."
Kuroto Dan      "No, the pleasure is all mine. Kuroto Dan. CEO and lead game designer of Genm Corporation. I thought visiting personally would send a welcoming message."

     Kuroto arrives with a briefcase in hand, dressed in a freshly pressed business suit. He gives Roger Glycon a warm smile, as he extends a hand out to offer a handshake.

     "I've heard you've already dipped your toes into the realm of augmented reality games, and wanted to discuss possibilities with my own upcoming game. I'm certain there's a lot we can learn from each other if you've the time and sit down and listen."
John Doe John looks put off that the two ladies can perceive him. However he does play along because it's not like they'll remember too much longer, or at least struggle. It's also doubly like the camera's around can record him, so it'll all be washed away by anyone important...probably. John himself just signs John and takes his badge. He doesn't actually engage in talk with Roger, and Roger doesn't appear to even notice John.

Also, oddly for Persephone, John is an anomaly to her senses. He's /obviously/ there, but it also feels like he's somehow less real in the world despite being obviously there. The world itself refuses to admit he exists, but can't remove him from reality somehow. It's like he's a walking paradox. He shouldn't exist but obviously does. It also makes him impossible to read, because the feelings that come off of him don't make sense.

Roger is a normal guy, oddly enough. No superpowers, dark side (besides the normal one everyone has,) and feels completely out of his depth in this. Phony can feel he's uncomfortable in the position but is there because he's actually a good organizer. He's also got his own dream of a game, but with The Reversal taking most of the R&D of the company, he's been put on the organization rather than development.

Roger is also not resisting the gravity well at all, not that he could even if he tried. He's more comfortable around Persephone than he seemed when they first interacted. "Oh sure," he says, taking the clipboard to sign those who haven't done so already. Setting it back down he grabs everyone's badges. He also takes a moment to count. He gets six badges, and gives each person, except for John, a badge.
John Doe Roger also accepts the cards from both Sougo and Sukotto, having no reason to believe they are anything else other than lackies to the man of the hour, in his head anyway. He is at least polite to them, warm, and good at greeting. "Nice to meet you Tokiwa-san and Uozu-san."

Kukuru gets odd looks from everyone. There is always 'that one' person in a security retinue. The silent badass, the person who takes no changes and will destroy you. Despite dressing like this, her kind and gentle demeanor and excitement for being here put people at least, but in a confused way. The two at the desk assume that she's far more powerful than she lets on...the silent guy is dangerous, the one who's kind? Deadly. Roger greets her happily enough, inwardly he's less concerned about her...she's security! "Nice to meet you KuGel."

He does think she's weird, and the name is weird. Buuuut...multiversals.

'Dr. Kim Nosagi' gets a similarly warm greeting from Roger, though curious as to why they would send a bioresearch and development specialist with Dan...but the Concord is vast, perhaps this is an interest to her. Though when programming comes across her resume, it starts to make sense.

Roger makes great pains to show every bit of respect to Dan. Those who can feel these things note this is what has him the most nervous. Out-of-towner who is a potential rival, but also a potential joint developer. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kuroto-san. We appreciate your trip here, and look forward to trying to create a working relationship."

A pause, "Ah yes, you mean our hit game 'The Reversal'. It's been on a bit of a rage lately," to this, he seems more disappointed internally. Those that comb can see that he was hoping for a chance to develop his own game, but The Reversal has stolen much of the company's time...and now that they're developing other things, he might have lost his chance on the developing side.

"Well, I would be happy to sit down with you and listen. I can show you to the Development building, or if you want we can instead go to a meeting room in the Dorm. That is uh, the center building," As they move, the group can see a large slide that ends in an adult-sized ball pit in the Dorm. From here you can also see firepoles in the Development building.

It would also be a good time for anyone who wants to slip away to do that. Which, John is already, though where he goes depends on where you don't!
Kukuru A doctor, game developer(s?), Phony, and... John! Kukuru definitely didn't have to peek at the sign in sheet for that one. With this kind of crew around, she's feeling a bit small compared to her self-appointed role of 'the bodyguard', but she's still managing to fill it easily enough, and Roger's greeting just has her spirits raised that little bit more at how convincing it totally is.

With Dan and Roger making it clearer what the group's role is today, meanwhile, Kukuru tries to get her brain revved up to figure out how to properly do some corporate espionage! Or just regular mystery solving, since she certainly doesn't have a mind for corporate matters nor does she really know what Dan may or may not have planned for his end of things.

In the meantime, she follows along while taking out a similar pair of tight gloves like the ones she's wearing. She hands them to Phony, then gives the larger woman a light pat on the forearm before looking over at Ozhira, Sougo and 'Uozu', and Dan to gesture at the gloves as if she's signalling.. Something. As she does, though, she notices THE BALL PIT and THE FIREPOLES.

Naturally, her eyes are drawn by the sheer mess of colors, but there's a job to be done, and she has to really struggle to keep her mind focused on the poles instead. "Rooo-ger. What're those for?" Her hand veers towards the ball pit at first, but she's able to point at the firepoles before long.

Her eyes are totally on the ball pit, though. "The... Poles, I mean. Do you have a fire department here, too? That's so responsible~"
Timespace Riders Sougo and Woz both smile. Sougo's is more convincing because of the retainer's aforementioned grumpiness, but Sougo playfully nudges him when Roger isn't looking. Each of them look askance first at Kukuru, then at each other, then back at her. They have no idea what she's signalling.

     Naturally, Sougo pries. Causality seems undisturbed, his presence a constant among the group--but this is not the case. An instant, sliced incredibly fine, bears the weight of a journey into the past. As a mute, invisible observer, Sougo watches Roger's history play out before him. Late nights spent working on a game--but not the one he wants to be working on. The Reversal becomes a runaway success, and attention shifts to other projects besides the object of his passion.

     It's hard not to feel a little sympathy for that, even if I'm not really a creative type. But what about all the incidents in Lampport? The wishes and the Tyrants? How much does he know about that?

     When his journey into the past is done, there's little indication it ever began, thanks to his insertion back into the timestream at the precise moment he left. He's more than happy to follow Kuroto's lead, and there's a sense that he'd be happy to do it even without the context of pretending to be his lackey.
Persephone Kore      Phony isn't breaking off. I wouldn't make it far trying to be sneaky, after all! "The Reversal! I was hoping you'd tell us about that. We'll be wanting to see Development," she says with total confidence.

     Once they're underway, she says, a little gentler: "And tell us about your game too, Roger. You've got your own dream, right? I want to hear about it!"

     She takes the gloves from Kukuru with a warm, grateful smile. Kukuru pats her on the arm, so she returns the gesture by patting her half-a-foot-shorter 'bodyguard' right on the head. "Thanks, Kugel! Haha, maybe I'll try them on later myself."

     Right now she's wearing her typical comfy Concord-orange arm warmers, which would amke it a little bit tricky.
Ozhira     Of course, a doctor holding a minor in computer science has a reason to be interested in a game developer. That is clearly why Dr. Nosagi is here on behalf of the Concord, and nothing else.

    "I would like to get to the heart of the operation, Mister Glycon," the Doctor states primly, "If there are no other objections, I agree that Development is where I would like to start."

    As she walks, she drops something-- a pen. A cheap BIC that nobody would miss or think twice about. It must have fallen out of her pocket. It rolls harmlessly into an expansion joint between walkway pavers. Here, the pen suddenly changes color to match the sidewalk itself and slithers in another direction, more like a snake or flatworm that slips Dorm-ward.
Kuroto Dan      Kuroto Dan does not break off. He is, after all, here to talk about VIDEO GAMES.

     "I do wish to hear about The Reversal, it's true. But I'm less interested in the game itself and more the technology behind it. I believe that augmented reality is the future of gaming, and I'm sure we can apply that to all sorts of games. Yours included, if that interests you."

     It's not a lie. Kuroto does believe this, it shows on his face how excited he is to talk about this. He is, however, leaving out the part where he's already figured out how to do this all by himself. Him talking about this is just him going through the business motions. He sincerely doubts he's going to hear anything from this man that he himself hasn't already thought of.

     "Anyway, we can talk wherever you're comfortable. I am your guest here, after all."
John Doe DEVELOPMENT

Roger looks to where Kukuru is and then laughs a little. "Well, the company wanted to keep the place 'fun' for everyone so they installed a ball pit with a slide over there to help us 'keep in touch' with our childish side. I have to say, it's actually a lot of fun...if a bit embarrassing."

Two have wished to take this to Development, so that's where they'll go.

"Oh, the poles are there for the same reason. They're just a fun way to go down from other floors. There isn't a campus fire department, but the city built one close by," He says, and as people get closer to development, they will also see an escalator system. One could get on it from the front door, and then ride it up to any floor. It also only went up, so obviously, the poles were the way down.

Well besides the stairs. But stairs are boring.

For Sougo, he can read Roger like an open book. He doesn't know anything about the wishes and the Tyrants. As far as he knows, the weird deaths and goings-on were bad...but nothing supernatural. There is ONE thing that sticks out though.

The figure 'Delilah' which is both in the game and in the Reversal, is based on an urban legend. Something about a seeker of power who one day gave it all up to try being human. Through humanity, she obtains true strength in the form of humanity and becomes their guide. "Oh, you want to know more about the Reversal..? Well, it's an augmented-reality game much like Kuroto-san is developing. There are various 'strategic' points across Lampport and the greater world, and from there you can capture these points for...well points. Every person is on one of two teams, and each one tries to get points for said team."
John Doe Though her SECOND question takes him off his guard, "Oh um...well, I wanted to make something similar. An augmented-reality game, but also mix in some aspects of building and survival. You see, the idea is that there are two games with the same name that work with each other. One is a game about building and survival, right? The other is going out into the world and gathering resources from 'nodes' out there. The idea is to get people to not just play a game all day, but get outside and enjoy the world too."

"I wanted to also foster a good community around it, encouraging cooperation, but a little competition to get people fired up too. Also, fewer restrictions on just two factions and give people the opportunity to make their own."

Roger talks about this with a passion. He stops, "Oh sorry, I got off target!" He shows them to the second floor, where his office is. He's got a nice corner office with a nice desk and even a foosball table and a regular table for meetings. He sits down at one end of the table.

"Well, the technology is pretty neat. We use a server base system to connect all of the various points across Lampport. With little 'boxes' at each location so they can connect to it and claim their points. We put the boxes inside drones so they can fly around to different parts of the locations so it's harder to figure out where the node's center is. A little bit of guesswork and GPS mapping...and obviously coordination between faction members."

"The main server does all the computation. It's a work of art, honestly. Or a madman's house depending on who you ask, ha ha.."
John Doe DORM

BIC Ozhira manages to easily sneak through into the Dorm. It's half playhouse and half college dorm. There are a few conversations going on, and one guy just goes down the slide a bunch of times, but not with a smile. He seems to be thinking about something. A pair of labcoat guys sit at one end of the cafe away from everyone.

"...Got transferred?"
"Yeah, to the downtown lab. Big promotion too, boss said he liked my work and wanted me to get in on full-time research with something connected to the game."
"Huh, must be a social engineering experiment.."
"Yeah, but I'm a psychologist."
"Weird."
"Yeah, I was just here to make money for college on the side, but this is a real chance."
It breaks down into congratulations from there.

JOHN

John indicates he is heading to the admin building. Nobody seems to have noticed him nor has he said anything about trouble. Updates come periodically. He likely can try and confirm things from here if you ask.
Ozhira     "Drones?" Dr. Nosagi tilts her head slightly. A hand lifts, cradling her chin. She had listened intently to the entire speech; including the game that Roger himself had wanted to make, but it's this part that finally gets her to speak up. Glancing down thoughtfully, she remarks, "So it's a preptually moving target. A clever solution, even if the drone has to land once in a while on a charging station."

    "Security must be difficult with so many access points," she adds, dropping her hand, "I imagine you already have a solution for this challenge, but I won't expect you to go into too much detail on something so crucial."

--

    BICzhira, color-shifting to match different flooring they pass across, alters their path to grow closer to those conversing technicians when one mentions a lab. Huddling near the baseboard, the creature ruminates. Downtown lab. Different site from here. More research. Requiring a psychologist.

    After a moment, a section of Ozhira separates from the initial body, scuttling across the floor. Like this, this offshoot of the Beast attempts to make it right under the psychologist's shoe, where it will dig into the rubber tread and change to match the underside of the shoe itself.
Timespace Riders      "I hope one day you'll be able to work on it," Sougo says sincerely. "It's easy to see that you've worked hard on the Reversal, after all!" Smiling brightly, he opens the briefcase as Kuroto explains, handing Roger a Genmcorp-prepared set of documents to mull over alongside the finer points.

     At the next break in conversation, "I did a bit of research into the Reversal before coming here," explains Sougo. His enthusiasm is dialed back to a more professional level by an ankle-nudge from the retainer seated beside him. Clearing his throat, trying and failing endearingly to put on a serious face, "Persistent characters like Delilah are a boon for, um... player engagement, in games like the Reversal." Glancing at Kuroto, he continues.

     His fake business card, laid out on the desk, lists him as being a 'worldbuilding specialist.' "And even though the characters might be fictional, they have to have a certain authenticity in order for players to engage with them. Some of your players have remarked that Delilah almost seems real!"

     The glance to Kuroto seals it--a 'covert' way to let him know she actually is.

     "It's common for games with supernatural elements to draw from folklore and urban legends for inspiration. Was that the case with the Reversal?"
Kukuru "They do look fun... Hehe. It's good that you're all able to enjoy yourselves that way." Kukuru giggles softly while keeping up with the tour, still walking along with exaggerated swings of her legs and her arms crossed behind her head loosely. She does remember to keep up the bodyguard 'look' every now and then, though, pressing a finger to one of her horns/drills and turning away to speak quietly.

She doesn't actually need to do that to communicate through the radio, but it looks more official that way. She also doesn't have anything attached to them.

Keeping all the different ways of getting up and down the building in mind, she instead focuses on what she's hearing from Roger about the Reversal game. His impassioned words about it hold her attention way more than the words themselves, and then she finally asks something that could very well be a taboo topic without her realizing it.

"That sounds like it'd be a fun game, mhm! Have you had a chance to start working on it yet?" She pauses, and then more come to mind rather quickly. "Those drones... Do they look like anything from inside the game? And.. oh! Can we see one?" She asks, both wanting to look at the shiny thing and also to get a chance for one of her companions to capitalize on it, perhaps.

Mostly to look at the shiny thing.
Persephone Kore      "Augmented reality... survival? Doesn't that sound kind of scary?" Phony says, tapping her chin with a fingernail. Then she laughs. "I really like that, though! Any kind of game that asks people to get out and cooperate, I think that's good. You really are smart! Don't you think so, Dan?"

     "No, actually, here." She reaches into her pocket, producing her DORADO BLACK card and something phonelike to transfer him an unreasonable amount of cash. "Roger... Glycon. There! If things ever go bad here, use that to make your dream come true instead, okay?"

     The talk about the technical stuff goes mostly over her head, but she finds time to be childishly enthralled by the ball pit in its place, and chatters about how Sapient Heuristics should definitely do the fire poles too. Something does catch her ear, though.

     "They built a fire station nearby just for you? Is this company really that important to the town?"
Kuroto Dan      "Yes. It is a very good use of an NPC. I agree. Keeping player engagement is one of the most important things when developing a game, next to vision."

     Kuroto doesn't seem startled by Sougo's stealth revelations. In fact, he acts like it's information he already knew, even though he couldn't. It's probably because, once again, a reoccurring NPC like this is something he already planned in his own game. For their sakes though, it seems to be a coincidence.

     "I agree. I'm honestly impressed with everything so far. Gaming could use people with drive and talent such as this."

     Though he says he's impressed. He isn't. Kuroto could never acknowledge an 'augmented reality survival game' as basic as this. Drones? Phone apps? It's all very quaint. Though, it's not their fault. It's expected for lessers to try and capture a fraction of God in their own way.
John Doe DEVELOPMENT

"Yeah, it's a very good solution, and the drone uses very little battery life in moving itself around so it can go a few weeks without needing to charge. Then it can just sit on the charger for a whole day and make that the new point."

"As for security, that isn't my specialty. But I imagine it'd need one hell of a netcode and firewall system. I imagine some security experts make a lot of money working here, ha ha..."

"Oh thank you. I do hope to be able to work on it. Maybe when things calm down over The Reversal I'll get my chance to develop again," and pauses as Sougo slowly reveals the idea behind Delilah to Dan on the down low.

"Yeah, that's about right. Delilah was based on an urban legend! There are a lot of legends from the old Steelport days. The workers were a suspicious crowd. Though I imagine they did it to take the edge off how hard the Steel industry was on them."

"Oh that reminds me, I think The Reversal itself is based on such a legend too. A place full of demons, but also similar to our own world. Scary right?"

"I'm glad you think so, Kuroto-san. Delilah was very important in selling The Reversal, I feel," he too is very happy about the praise given to him by an industry master like Dan. "T-thank you. I don't know if I could stand up to someone with your reputation, but I won't let that deter me."

This man has no idea that Dan thinks so little of him.
John Doe Kukuru asks a very painful question to Roger, "No, I got promoted, unfortunately. Though I'm hoping to eventually get approval to start the project on the side, it's not looking good while The Reversal is going strong."

"Well, it's supposed to be a /little/ scary. Survival games usually need a push to keep the players going, or else they can slip into a rotation. Some rare resources that are dangerous to get, some monsters sitting behind them, hunger mechanics...the idea is to apply pressure, but not be so consuming as to make the experience work."

"Oh, thanks..!" he says, the compliment from Phony seemed to mean the world to him. What happens next nearly causes his heart to stop. He trembles a little at the generosity from Phony. "I...I don't know what to say..." he's got tears in his eyes.

"I'll...be honest, I really don't want to work here anymore, but...well, I need a job. I kept telling myself to save up the extra, and then one day if I wasn't given the chance for my own game to strike it out on my own...but with how popular The Reversal is, it's daunting to think it'll ever get the traction without the insider help.."

"Huh..? Oh yes. The big wigs seem to have a lot of pull in the city. They provided money to candidates' elections and donated to various departments like the police and fire department. I think it was someone on the board that got the town to change its name to Lampport."
John Doe DORMS

Biczhira easily stealths her way toward the underside of the labcoat's shoe. Soon enough she has become the sole of the shoe. Or perhaps the soul of it?

From here she could easily hitch a ride with him, but talking continues going on, and he won't be going until sometime later in the week instead of right away, so it'll be a waiting game. Of course, he has no way of knowing that she's there and watching.
John Doe JOHN

John confirms there appears to be another lab, but he's having trouble finding out /where/ it is. It's also weird that he can't find more information on what they're researching. Nothing about the Reversal (not the game), wishes, or Tyrants appears to be here.

Other than that, he's finding a bunch of projects. Some seem legitimate, like new apps, and some attempts to cash in on The Reversal (game), and some other projects that seem shady and haven't been moved to their own facilities.

Things that'd make the FBI and the CIA very very excited. As in, they'd be excited to use it.

However, something happens. Phony can sense something in her general range that seems to warm realness around itself. The opposite of John's aura. It seems to be walking towards the Admin building from the security office.
Persephone Kore      When Roger stumbles, Persephone winks, and her eyelashes ignite the itty-bittiest star to sparkle and flare out. "Pledging your undying gratitude is a wonderful start, you know! Haha, but it sounds like you have a dream that'll bring people together. That's good enough for me to love the dream itself."

     Something nags at the back of her mind, though. That presence. Her expression, for a moment, darkens. Then she smiles in a very different way. It's smoky and a little dangerous, but most terrifyingly, no less sincere.

     "I'll be right back, okay? You all keep having fun! And remember to keep chasing your dream, Roger!"

     She turns on her heel and steps out onto the grass, walking briskly towards Administration. And even though it is grass, her footfalls clack with an ominous echo.

     "Normally I'd let you play with him, you know." She's speaking to the air, her tone thoughtful. "I'd love for John to get a chance to show off! But this is really important, okay? So you'll have to play with me instead!"
Ozhira     Dr. Nosagi makes some thoughtful noises while scribbling on a notepad. It's all quite legible notes regarding the conversation, "Cyber-security is ever-changing and evolving, much like a biological system. Attackers create new ways to attack it, and the system must adapt to the new tactics. In a way, it parallels biology, which is a subject I find especially fascinating."

    "I should like to see how this handled in more detail but-- again," She glances up from her notepad, "I understand not wanting to give away the details on something so critical. So I will have to settle for my suppositions, Mister Glycon. This will still be helpful to me, if as food for thought if nothing else."

    Persephone excuses herself, prompting the Doctor to glance after her, then back to Roger, "She has urgent business, please excuse her."

--

    BICzhira considers this a mission accomplished. The offshoot nestles inside the shoe's tread rubber and goes dormant with a simple command to check in once a day during working hours with subsonic vibrations.

    The larger mass of infiltrating devourer slithers away from this pair. It seems to consider a deeper investigation when Phoney brings up some ominous presence. The Beast pauses. A thread shoots up out of the pen-sized mass of biofilm, digging into the ceiling tiles. Using this, the rest of the creature shuttles itself up and then into the dropped ceiling.

    And then, much like its little bud, BICzhira finds itself a safe location to camouflage and go dormant.
Timespace Riders      Sougo hums thoughtfully. 'The bigwigs,' is it? They must have a lot of influence indeed. That admission evidently piqued Woz's interest, too, given by the shift in his seat. The two of them share a brief glance, before Sougo continues.

     "]Mr. Glycon, if you don't mind me asking, how active was the board of directors in the development of the game? It helps us at virtually all levels to know what the management style here is like."

     If Roger doesn't know or didn't experience anything related to the Tyrants, wishes and generaly hidden aspects of the game, maybe all of that is to do with someone else higher up?

     "Oh,"] he says, with a sunny smile, "I almost forgot! I wanted to ask a little about the creative process, too. Could you tell me a little about the team that brought the story of the game to life, so to speak?"

     At the next pause in the conversation, Woz then speaks up. His card names him as a 'risk consultant.' "Safety is also a concern, when games involve real-world elements," notes the retainer with steepled fingers. He bows his head cordially to Persephone as she takes her leave, then continues. "I'm certain you're aware of the incidents related to the game. If there's anything you're permitted to discuss pertaining to those incidents..."

     Sougo gently ankle-nudges Woz.

     "...otherwise, I'm sure you can direct me to the right person to handle such inquiries, even if it should need a separate appointment."
Kukuru "Getting promoted is... Bad?" Kukuru sounds rather baffled by that very idea, pursing her lips as she tilts her head steadily sideways until it's almost at a 90 degree angle. "But doesn't getting promoted mean more money so you can do more stuff you really wanna do? Like..."

A few things start clicking together, and she lets out a long "ohhhhh" before crossing her arms over her chest. Persephone's power of money gets Roger to really spill the beans there, and that prompts Kukuru to really show how simple-minded she is. "That should be a good way to get it started, then, right? I heard there's even people that do stuff like this on the weekend, but..."

It takes a while before Kukuru finally remembers that she's supposed to be a bodyguard here, not a counselor of any sort. ""Mm... Well, I'm sure you'll find a good balance. Make sure not to overwork yourself, though, okay? You've gotta take better care of yourself so you can make sure you can really be proud of what you're doing." She gives Roger a firm pat on the shoulder as she says that, turning momentarily to wave at Phony when she heads off to pursue the pursuer.

As more juicy details get revealed about Lampport and the higher ups surrounding the Reversal, Kukuru settles back to try and look nonchalant while thinking hard. Alas, she's not very subtle about it at all, as she's staring intensely at a wall with a tense jaw while trying to come up with something helpful to speak of. Sougo mentions his safety concerns, and that gives Kukuru the brain juice she needs!

"Oh! That whole thing's really terrible, too. I hear there's people looking into it, but I dunno if they can really handle it. Have you heard anything about them? I think their name was..."

She lets out a quiet droning noise, as if trying to remember the name she's heard a few times before. She doesn't, so she just stops making that noise after a while.
Kuroto Dan      "Everyone has to start somewhere. Even me. Don't think so little of yourself, you'll reach the greatness you deserve one day."

     Genm Corp's CEO says this line with such ease, one might think it's practiced. Because it is. Social interaction is a game, thus, it's only expected that the Game Master will be good at it when he wants to be.

     "My employee brings up a good point, though. Safety of the player is a rather pressing concern for these sorts of games. I'm sure you have a safety system in place though. If a player were to... Meet an untimely end, so to speak, I'm sure there's a way to bring them back. Or am I wrong?"
John Doe DEVELOPMENT

Roger is moved to tears by the generosity of the elites here. However, as Phony moves to go, he looks disappointed to see her leave so abruptly. He doesn't chase after her or try and stop her, she said she had to go...so she had to go. He was just sad to see it happen!

Roger nods to Noshira, "Yeah, I understand. It was nice to meet her though," he says, in a way that says he'll be listening to her. Tomorrow a resignation letter is left on his boss's desk and he goes into development for himself.

"Oh right...yeah, Cybersecurity is in fact very interesting. It's really interesting to see how it evolves. It is, like you said, like a biological organism. I wonder if things will eventually come to a status quo, though. Or if the system created is forced to constantly evolve and change, it's a very interesting system!"

"Mmm? The board, not much at all. The current acting CEO, however, was the original creator and developer. This is strange because I think he was in their R&D department first. But...well, a product is a product and a hit is a hit no matter where it comes from."

Roger is completely clueless about the wishes and the Tyrants.
John Doe "Well...there is the current CEO. I hear he's a real work-a-holic. Spends all his time either in his office or in R&D. If I remember right, the head creative designer was an occultist before he came to work with us. As in he studied it in college. Let's see...the lead programmer what did she do..." he pauses, "I think she was working on AI before she came over to the project. The rest..? Well, people moved in and out of that project, so I don't know them all."

"Incidents relating to the game..? I'm not aware of any incidents. Are you sure you're not confusing the game for something else?" Roger is dead-ass honest in this. "I guess you might want to speak to our legal department, but I haven't been made aware of anything."

To Kukuru he shrugs, "Yeah I guess, but...sometimes it's better to work with your passion than to take whatever you can take," he comments to her. "Don't worry, I won't!" he says sunnily towards Kukuru. Though when she talks about the terrible events, he's just as confused as before. He absolutely has no idea bout terrible events. The School things, to him, weren't related to The Reversal at all. The murders related to the Misty Night were, likewise, unrelated to the Reversal as far as he can tell.

Seems like PR has been busting their ass.

"Right...right," he says to Dan with a smile. Though hearing his question, he pauses. "Well, I thought about that. I'm thinking that the only way to bring someone back who's fallen, would be to someone in their survival group, and they'd have to find them in the world. Like a search and rescue mission. For those starting out, or who haven't gotten a survival group, I was thinking of making priority rescue missions for those who want to brave the danger of rescuing a stranger."
John Doe PERSEPHONE

The figure walking towards the admin pauses, hearing the steps behind him. The clacking shouldn't be happening. From the back, it looks like an average person. He has a suit, so obviously, he's some executive. His haircut is short and brushed to one side with a part on the opposing side. He looks...feels like a robber baron. This is a man that radiates wealth and power, belittling his looks.

Slowly, he turns, towards Persephone as she speaks to him. His eyes are covered by shades as she addresses him. The suit looks immaculate from the front. It's blue, made out of silk. He's got black dress shoes, obviously made for him. A red handkerchief is stored in his breast pocket. He sighs when she says to play with her instead.

"Of course I was sent here, to clean up my own mess," He says, taking the shades from his eyes. The average person wouldn't see anything abnormal, but Phony? She can see something else. Those eyes are /gold/. Glowing gold. The kind that Tyrants have. "So you're a friend of *REDACTED*? Cute...but for the life, I so rightly deserve, he's going to have to die."

"Though, we don't have to add to the body count, gorgeous. Instead, you can just pluck him here for me and I'll end it quickly. I can make it worth your time. Money, fame, or...other pleasures," he says in such a way that it would make anyone's skin crawl. "My wife doesn't have to know, after all."

He snaps a finger, and out of nothing several people form up behind him. Not a single one has a face. A static image of a face is there, but it's impossible to perceive it. They all have different outfits. Construction workers, doctors, men in suits, a man with a pen and notebook. "Get the kid," he says, to them, and they start moving out. Nobody seems to be able to perceive them, much like John.
John Doe JOHN

John is gathering up some papers and things he can get. Oddly, he can hear doors opening and closing around him. The building's occupants are looking for an intruder, but he can't be seen by them...well, not yet.

The people walking towards the building likely can. Well, 'people', in a sense. They're the remains of people that once were. Removed from existence by the rampant greed of one man.
Persephone Kore      "Oh, you know his name?" Persephone's smile brightens. Then it dims. Her cheek comes to rest in her hand; a thoughtful look, or a great imitation of one. "Who says it has to be that way? I didn't give you permission to kill him, you know."

     Then, most terrifyingly of all, her eyes glaze over with incomprehension. "Sorry, you're not my type. But what do you mean, your wife doesn't have to know? You shouldn't give away money without telling her. That's gross."

     The henchmen are disconcerting- but, with them moving towards the building, Phony grasps their purpose quickly enough.

     "Hey-"

     I wish they couldn't reach him. A spiral galaxy's worth of pressure grinds down on the man and his minions. The grassy ground beneath them cavitates under the unimaginable force, rupturing messily like an orange shot with a bullet to create a hundred-foot-deep gouge with smoking diamond edges. Water mains burst and gush like severed arteries. The telekinetic force sounds like a thunderclap.

     It is, impossibly, nonlethal. But it doesn't feel that way.

     "Stop."

     Persephone still stands exactly where she was, which is now the thin air above the gaping crater. "Ask me nicely if you can touch him," she says. "So I can tell you 'no'."

     It won't be long until the sirens start wailing, probably. This has solved one time limit and created another.
Timespace Riders      "Oh, I see," says Sougo, nodding attentively. "Well, that would certainly explain the game's theming."

     "In any case, Mr. Uozu and I need to get going if we're going to make a meeting on time. Thanks so much for your insight--and if you decide to start pursuing your dream again, please don't be a stranger! Like Mr. Dan says, vision is really important."

    The two of them get up and offer handshakes, moving to the campus proper.

    "Thanks for playing along, Woz. But you know, you really look good in that!"

    Woz looks unbearably put-upon, and seems like he could really go for a huffy flip of his scarf, were it not for the effect it'd have on his whole look.

    "Haha, sorry... but Phony really is right." Once they're outside, "Could you take a look through the 'lore bible' for me? I'd like to know about the current CEO, the head creative designer, and what they're up to."

    "Very well, my Demon King. But please do not call it that." Woz procures the mysterious book from inside his blazer, opening it up and reading intently.

    Sougo's buffoonish noise of surprise at the sudden creation of a crater elsewhere on the campus causes Woz to startle. The retainer makes an aggrieved sigh and continues reading.
Kukuru It seems Roger doesn't know what's going on! Kukuru's not going to be the one to break the news to him, though, since this is supposed to be some kind of investigation rather than just a recruiting spree.

Then again, it's not as though a little recruiting couldn't hurt. "You know... I might know someone that knows a place that might be able to help with that, too." She explains in the vaguest way possible. "Do you have a... Business card? I could check around." She suggests, taking a concerning amount of time to remember the term 'business card' at all.

Still unaware about what's happening on John's and Phony's ends, she instead listens to Dan's words of encouragement and finds herself smiling brightly. Yes, even she's managed to get suckered in by that, and she flashes him a big thumbs up the next moment he looks anywhere close to her direction.

The sudden cratering elsewhere, though, has Kukuru glancing around slowly as though that might help her figure out where that's coming from. "... Huh. That's weird. Stay close, everyone." She warns while nudging her COOLBOY shades up a bit and starting to patrol the area, as though that might actually help her catch something.

She also has her hand near her horns the whole time, to check in and see if she can't find out what that's really all about.
Kuroto Dan      "I see..."

     Roger is a genuine rube in this company that really doesn't know anything. He's probably only as high up as he is so that the CEO can bleed the man of his talents. A situation that surprisingly, Kuroto can sympathize with to an extent. Unfortunately, however, he doesn't feel the need to help him. If the man is truly gifted, he'll find a way to fight back.

     "Anyway, I thank you for your time. I'll be sure to keep in touch and be sure to share my own development with you once the game I'm working on is close to completion. Please, look forward to it, and thank you for your time."

     There's nothing else for Kuroto to 'learn' here, so he takes his leave, but not before handing Roger his business card and giving the man a polite bow.
Ozhira     Doctor Nosagi pauses while Roger shares his thoughts on the adaptive nature of security, as if distracted by something. After a moment, she nods once and rises to her feet as Sougo and Woz excuse themselves, "Thank you very much for the inspiring discussion and revelations about your company's project, Mister Glycon." There's the barest tip of her head and shoulders, the professional hint of a bow, "I will share what you've shown me to my associates. BR&D will be in touch."

    She follows the Riders. Once outside, she comments, "There is another site. I would like to see that, sometime. Details will have to wait."

    The hair of her low-tied ponytail stands out in response to the colossal noise elsewhere on the campus, though it might have been just her being startled. As her filiments calm down, she turns in place towards the sound, "... Would that be Phoney, I wonder?"
John Doe PERSEPHONE

The man laughs, "Oh you didn't give /me/ permission? Haha...you empty-headed bimbo, nobody gives Viktor Kos permission, I take what I want. Do what I want...and not a goddamn person can stop me!"

The wish from Persephone bends time and space, as the weight of a spiral galaxy aims to keep the strange creatures at bay, as well as the man with the Golden eyes. He is pounded into the ground, the strain of what Persephone has unleashed forces him down...

"I said..." he says, grunting. "THAT NOBODY TELLS ME WHAT TO DO!" he says, with an unearthly roar. His voice takes on an echo-like intone, as he leaps out of the pit created by Persephone. Dark wisps of energy wash off of his body, as his form has changed. For a moment, a man stands there. Powerful, with a full beard and french style clothing from the seventeenth century. In one hand he holds a rapier, bringing it up to his face and drawing it out.

"There isn't a thing I am going to ask you permission to do. Except to..." a pause, hearing the sirens. Hm. With a flash, the figure changes back, back into the man from a moment ago as he slides his glasses back on. "We'll have to do this another time then. Seems the CEO got a little nervous.." he says, and the guys still down in the pit fade away.

He pulls out his phone and a portal opens up behind him, quickly slipping into the other side.
John Doe DEVELOPMENT

"Oh, of course, I hope this meeting has been at least helpful to you, and look forward to future visits!" Roger says, though knowing that in the future he'll likely not be working here.

Woz's book reveals some things. The CEO is at a conference in berlin. Something about capitalism circle jerk and how to make more capitalism to circle jerk around.

The head creative designer is either going to be at the NovaTech offices in South Lampport, or at a Tekken Tournament. Why are there two readings for her?

"Well, if you'd do that for me I...don't know what I'd do to repay you, but...it'd be a dream come true to make a game to make people happy," he says, with a smile. Of course, business cards are exchanged. Fortunately for Kukuru these have his cell number on them.

Dan's sympathy would be more than the man expects from him, to a degree they share the same idea. Living and dying by your own creative impulses, and the creating of that idea and putting it out into the world. "It was an honor to meet you, and here.." he exchanges his own business card with Dan.

Doctor Nosagi gets a light bow in return, trying to honor her culture the best that he can. It's obvious why this guy got his position, if it's administrivia and working with people outside of the company. He's got a knack for it, but not a passion for it. "I look forward to it, have a great day!"
John Doe JOHN

John manages to get to the door right as the man turns around to leave. For a moment, he's not sure what he's looking at until recognition crosses his face. However, looking at how the ground is right this second...and the fact that he walked out of that hole, he does not jump in immediately to pursue him.

John feels that he was right in aligning with Concord right now. Because holy shit this got a whole lot worse than even he thought. Especially because that man's eyes were on him. He could feel them. Specifically.

On him.
Persephone Kore      "'Bimbo'. Ahaha. I kind of like that one, you know. But it doesn't sound as nice coming from you."

     Persephone's first gesture is to hold out her palm. Dust swirls around her fingers. It compresses and ignites to form a tiny star, then grows and compacts in phases like the beat of a heart. Red, yellow, blue, white- and then becomes a black hole with the final crunch, no longer a seed of possibility but the end of it. It feels like a weapon.

     "Why are you trying so hard to be awful? I think I'll fix that too."

     She seems ready to stop Viktor from leaving. Then John catches her eye, emerging from the building, and suddenly she hesitates.

     If I keep him here, I'll fight him. If I fight him, I know I'll end up changing and forgiving him. But... it's not my place to forgive him, is it? In the end, only John can do this.

     When the man vanishes and the portal closes, the black hole in Persephone's hand vanishes too. It roars softly as it shrinks and fades. She steps back from thin air to grass as if there were no difference.

     "Let's go, John." Persephone puts on a smile. "I'm sorry."